Processing--I Did It!

**Two23** · 28-Jan-2019, 20:43

I received all my supplies for processing my own sheets, and two weeks ago I started doing it! I'm using SP-445 tank, HC-110, Photographers' Formulary tf4, distilled water, and Photoflo. Also bought a Gralab 300 timer. I bought a black out curtain over my interior bathroom door and that makes my "dark room" very light tight even in daytime. i load the film in the dark, turn on lights. I look up the developing times on DigitalTruth developing website: https://www.digitaltruth.com/devchar...ch&TempUnits=C which even has a temperature conversion function. I fill the tank with distilled water/HC-110 dilution B, immediately start the timer, and do the four inversions every 30 seconds. Empty tank and run ~70 degree tap water through it for about 3 minutes, empty, fill with distilled water and agitate for a minute, empty, refill with tf4 mixed with distilled water, three minutes with agitation 30 seconds out of 60s. Empty into a jug, take off caps and put under running water for about five minutes. Empty tank, refill with distilled water & 5 drops Photoflo. Inversions for a minute, empty. Hang sheets to dry by a corner.

So far I've done five loads (20 sheets) and each seems to have come out well! I started with FP4+ and have also done one batch of HP5 now. It's all much easier than I thought! It's really not hard--just follow the recipe. I'm now thinking of starting tray development for my 4x5 Lane plates. I know they can be done in the tank but if I tray develop I can do the stop bath when they're at their peak. From there the next step will be trying wet plate.

Doing my own processing has given me a lot of confidence to tackle more. I mostly started doing my own to cut down the nearly two weeks of turn around time, but also to save postage and trips to the post office. The fact it's kind of fun was a surprise!

Thanks to Prof. Randy Moe of the Tin Can College and all the others who walked me through it. For those thinking about trying, really it's not hard at all. The SP-445 tank is easy to work with too.

Kent in SD